Tenure of Office Act
March 2, 1867 Following President Abraham Lincoln's death on April 15, 1865, Vice President Andrew Johnson assumed the presidency. Johnson chose to keep Edwin … Read more
Thirteenth Amendment
1865 Approved by Congress on January 31, 1865 and ratified by the states on December 6, 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment abolished the practice of … Read more
Transcription of Letter from Ephraim S. Weaver to Samuel and Mary Weaver
October 4, 1863 On October 4, 1863, Private Ephraim S. Weaver, a member of Co. K, 68th Regiment, OVI, wrote to his parents, Samuel … Read more
Virginia Resolutions
December 24, 1798 Drafted by James Madison and adopted by the Virginia General Assembly on December 24, 1798, the Virginia Resolutions asserted that, collectively, … Read more
Wade-Davis Bill
1864 Co-authored by Ohio Senator Benjamin Wade and Maryland Congressman Henry Winter Davis in 1864, the Wade-Davis Bill was an attempt to impose harsh … Read more
William H. Seward–Senate “Higher Law” Speech on the Compromise of 1850 (Transcript)
March 11, 1850 Transcript of William H. Seward's "Higher Law" speech on the Compromise of 1850, delivered on the U.S. Senate floor on March … Read more
Wilmot Proviso
1846 Introduced by Congressman David Wilmot, but never enacted, the Wilmot Proviso would have banned the spread of slavery into territories Mexico ceded to … Read more
